UPDATE 1-U.S. anti-Semitic hate crimes spiked 37 percent in 2017 -FBI

Hate crimes in the United States jumped
17 percent in 2017, with a huge 37 percent spike in anti-Semitic
attacks, marking the third year in a row that such attacks have
increased, according to FBI data released on Tuesday.

The release of the data comes just weeks after a gunman
burst into a Pittsburgh synagogue and shot dead 11 worshippers
while shouting "All Jews must die."

According to the FBI's annual Hate Crime Statistics report,
there were a total of 7,175 hate crime incidents reported last
year by law enforcement agencies, up from 6,121 incidents in
2016. The agency did not offer a reason for the increase.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said in a statement
that hate crimes were "despicable violations" of America's
values.

The report showed a 37 percent jump in anti-Semitic
incidents to 938 from 684 a year earlier.

The Pittsburgh synagogue massacre in late October fueled a
debate ahead of the Nov. 6 national elections over U.S.
President Donald Trump's inflammatory political rhetoric and his
self-identification as a "nationalist."

Critics say Trump's rhetoric has fomented a surge in
right-wing extremism and may have even helped provoke the
bloodshed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel
Hill neighborhood, which was the worst attack on America's
Jewish community.

The Trump administration has rejected any notion that he has
encouraged white nationalists and neo-Nazis who have embraced
him, insisting the president's true aim is to unify America.

"This report provides further evidence that more must be
done to address the divisive climate of hate in America,"
Jonathan Greenblatt, the Anti-Defamation League's national
director, said in a statement. "That begins with leaders from
all walks of life and from all sectors of society forcefully
condemning anti-Semitism, bigotry, and hate whenever it occurs."

Nearly 16 percent of the 4,131 incidents in 2017 involving
race or ethnicity were fueled by anti-black or African-American
bias, increasing to 2,013 from 1,739 in 2016, the FBI said.

Of the 6,370 known offenders in the report, 50.7 percent
were white, while 21.3 percent were Black or African-American.

The 2017 data was compiled from reports voluntarily
submitted by 16,149 law enforcement agencies.

FBI officials said the agency will provide training next
year for law enforcement officers on how to identify
bias-motivated incidents and report that data to federal
authorities.
(Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York
Editing by Bill Berkrot)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)